By Tony McVeigh
Frankfort, KY – In January, the Senate approved legislation backed by the chamber's Republican majority, allowing charter schools in Kentucky. Charter schools are granted regulatory relief in exchange for high performance. But the bill, which landed in the House Education Committee, has gone nowhere. Rep. Carl Rollins, who chairs the committee, is a charter school opponent. Instead of charter schools, Rollins proposes what he calls districts of innovation.'
"To get a school to be part of the district of innovation, or for a specific school, there would have to be buy-in. and this bill calls for considerable buy-in - probably a little bit too much, even. My opposition to charter schools is all pragmatic. I don't think they work well. And I think it's that separation of starting new schools and a whole new level of bureaucracy that is the problem. And I don't see how it serves our students well."
The bill, which gives districts leeway to try new ideas, sailed through the committee 25-0. The committee also approved tighter restrictions on for-profit colleges and sent both bills to the House floor.